Groups reach out to skaters

Area churches and ministries are coming together for the first-ever Skate Park Outreach, to be held from 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Neosho Skate Park, located in Morse Park.

Todd G. Higdon

Area churches and ministries are coming together for the first-ever Skate Park Outreach, to be held from 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Neosho Skate Park, located in Morse Park.

The event is free of charge and open to the skateboarders and the public. The churches involved in this are Abundant Life Church, Fellowship Baptist Church, Helping Hands Ministry, KCLJ TV, La Vida Abundante, Nazarene Church, Promise Land Fellowship, The Canopy and United Methodist Church.

"Basically what we are doing is just an outreach to the students that are down there at the skate park," said David Cox, youth minister at Abundant Life Church in Neosho. "We are having Tim Byrne, he is a pro freestyle skater (originally from Rolla, Mo., who is now in Portland, Ore.), and he is actually a skateboard evangelist."

Byrne has been in full time ministry for more than a decade. He is sponsored by numerous companies as a world renowned pro freestyle flatland skateboarder. Skateboarding in a small 8 by 8-foot section on stages all over the world, he has shared the love of Jesus Christ with hundreds of thousands of people.

"He does about a 60 minute presentation on his board at the skate park," Cox noted. "We are going to have a stunt bike that was donated that we are going to give away, a skateboard that was donated that we are going to give away, and we are going to feed them hot dogs and chips while they are down there."

Cox and other members of the churches have gone down to the skate park and spread the word about the upcoming event.

He said the the event has been received well.

"As far as from the students that are down there, they are super excited about it. They have really received us really well," Cox said. "When I just think about it, I get super excited that he would, he travels all over the world. For him to be willing to come to a community of around 11,000 people, he will give just as good of a performance on his board here as he would in New York City."